The Fall of Man

3 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And ^[a]the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from ^[b]any tree of the garden’?”^{(A) 2} And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, ³ except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, otherwise you will die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!^{(B) 5} For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened [that is, you will have greater awareness], and you will be like God, knowing [the difference between] good and evil.” ⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband ^[c]with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the ^[d]presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten [fruit] from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree].”^{(C) 14} The Lord God said to the serpent,

¹⁷ Then to Adam the Lord God said, “Because you have listened [attentively] to the voice of your wife, and have eaten [fruit] from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’;

²⁰ The man named his wife Eve (life spring, life giver), because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The Lord God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

²² And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat [its fruit], and live [in this fallen, sinful condition] forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent Adam away from the Garden of Eden, to till and cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So God drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He [permanently] stationed the ^[f]cherubim and the sword with the flashing blade which turned round and round [in every direction] to protect and guard the way (entrance, access) to the tree of life.^(E)

Cain and Abel

4 Now the man ^[g]Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have obtained a man (baby boy, son) with the help of the Lord.” ² And [later] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept the flocks [of sheep and goats], but Cain cultivated the ground. ³ And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. ⁴ But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the ^[h]fat portions. And the Lord had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering;^{(F) 5} but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and ^[i]he looked annoyed and hostile. ⁶ And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? ⁷ If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.” ⁸ Cain talked with Abel his brother [about what God had said]. And when they were [alone, working] in the field, Cain ^[j]attacked Abel his brother and killed him.^(G)

⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he [lied and] said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ The Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s [innocent] blood is crying out to Me from the ground [for justice].^{(H) 11} And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.^{(I) 12} When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength [it will resist producing good crops] for you; you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast].” ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴ Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ And the Lord said to him, “^[k]Therefore, whoever kills Cain, a sevenfold vengeance [that is, punishment seven times worse] shall be taken on him [by Me].” And the Lord set a [protective] ^[l]mark (sign) on Cain, so that no one who found (met) him would kill him.^(J)

¹⁶ So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain knew his ^[m]wife [one of Adam’s descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son. ¹⁸ Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. ¹⁹ And Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he became the father of those [nomadic herdsmen] who live in tents and have cattle and raise livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he became the father of all those [musicians] who play the lyre and flute. ²² Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, the smith (craftsman) and teacher of every artisan in instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives,

²⁵ Adam knew [Eve as] his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for [she said], “God has granted another child for me in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” ²⁶ To Seth, also, a son was born, whom he named Enosh (mortal man, mankind). At that [same] time men began to call on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].^(K)

Descendants of Adam

5 This is the book (the written record, the history) of the generations of [the descendants of] Adam. When God created man, He made him in the likeness of God [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]. ² He created them male and female, and blessed them and named them ^[o]Mankind at the time they were created.

³ When Adam had lived a hundred and thirty years, he ^[p]became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. ⁴ After he became the father of Seth, Adam lived eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ⁵ So Adam lived nine hundred and thirty years in all, and he died.

⁶ When Seth was a hundred and five years old, he became the father of Enosh. ⁷ Seth lived eight hundred and seven years after the birth of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁸ So Seth lived nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

⁹ When Enosh was ninety years old, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ Enosh lived eight hundred and fifteen years after the birth of Kenan and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ So Enosh lived nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¹² When Kenan was seventy years old, he became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ Kenan lived eight hundred and forty years after the birth of Mahalalel and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So Kenan lived nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ When Mahalalel was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ Mahalalel lived eight hundred and thirty years after the birth of Jared and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So Mahalalel lived eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ When Jared was a hundred and sixty-two years old, he became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ Jared lived eight hundred years after the birth of Enoch and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ So Jared lived nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ When Enoch was sixty-five years old, he became the father of Methuselah. ²² Enoch walked [in habitual fellowship] with God three hundred years after the birth of Methuselah and had other sons and daughters. ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ And [in reverent fear and obedience] Enoch walked with God; and he was not [found among men], because God took him [away to be home with Him].^(L)

²⁵ When Methuselah was a hundred and eighty-seven years old, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ Methuselah lived seven hundred and eighty-two years after the birth of Lamech and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ So Methuselah lived nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ When Lamech was a hundred and eighty-two years old, he became the father of a son. ²⁹ He named him Noah, saying, “This one shall bring us rest and comfort from our work and from the [dreadful] toil of our hands because of the ground which the Lord cursed.” ³⁰ Lamech lived five hundred and ninety-five years after the birth of Noah and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² After Noah was five hundred years old, he became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Jesus’ Birth in Bethlehem

2 Now in those days a decree went out from [the emperor] ^[a]Caesar Augustus, that all the inhabited world (the Roman Empire) should be ^[b]registered [in a census]. ² This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. ³ And everyone went to register for the census, each to his own city. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, ⁵ in order to register with Mary, who was ^[c]betrothed to him, and was with child.^{(A) 6} While they were there [in Bethlehem], the time came for her to give birth, ⁷ and she gave birth to her Son, her firstborn; and she wrapped Him in [^[d]swaddling] cloths and laid Him in a ^[e]manger, because there was no [private] room for them in the inn.

⁸ In the same region there were shepherds staying out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night. ⁹ And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for ^[f]all the people. ¹¹ For this day in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord (the Messiah).^{(B) 12} And this will be a sign for you [by which you will recognize Him]: you will find a Baby wrapped in [swaddling] cloths and lying in a manger.”^{(C) 13} Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angelic army) praising God and saying,

¹⁵ When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying one to another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem, and see this [wonderful] thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us.” ¹⁶ So they went in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the Baby as He lay in the manger. ¹⁷ And when they had seen this, they made known what had been told them about this Child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were astounded and wondered at what the shepherds told them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured all these things, giving careful thought to them and pondering them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as it had been told them.

Jesus Presented at the Temple

²¹ At the end of eight days, when He was to be circumcised, He was named Jesus, the name given [to Him] by the angel [Gabriel] before He was conceived in the womb.

²² And when the time for their purification came [that is, the mother’s purification and the baby’s dedication] according to the Law of Moses, they brought Him up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord [set apart as the Firstborn]^{(D) 23} (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male that opens the womb shall be called holy [set apart and dedicated] to the Lord)”^{(E) 24} and [they came also] to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord [to be appropriate for a family of modest means], “a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons.”^(F)

²⁵ Now there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout [carefully observing the divine Law], and looking for the ^[g]Consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. ²⁶ It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed). ²⁷ Prompted by the Spirit, he came into the temple [enclosure]; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, ^[h]to do for Him the custom required by the Law, ²⁸ Simeon took Him into his arms, and blessed and praised and thanked God, and said,

³³ And His [legal] father and His mother were amazed at what was said about Him. ³⁴ Simeon blessed them and said to Mary His mother, “Listen carefully: this Child is appointed and destined for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for ^[i]a sign that is to be opposed—^{(I) 35} and a sword [of deep sorrow] will pierce through your own soul—so that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.”

³⁶ There was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old, and had lived with her husband for seven years after her marriage,^{(J) 37} and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. She did not leave the [area of the] temple, but was serving and worshiping night and day with fastings and prayers. ³⁸ She, too, came up at that very moment and began praising and giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all who were looking for the redemption and deliverance of Jerusalem.

Return to Nazareth

³⁹ And when they had done everything [in connection with Jesus’ birth] according to the Law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. ⁴⁰ And the Child continued to grow and become strong [in spirit], filled with wisdom; and the grace (favor, spiritual blessing) of God was upon Him.^(K)

Visit to Jerusalem

⁴¹ Now His parents went to Jerusalem every year for the Passover Feast.^{(L) 42} And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem, according to the custom of the Feast; ⁴³ and as they were returning [to ^[j]Nazareth], after spending the required number of days [at the Feast], the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this, ⁴⁴ but supposed Him to be in the caravan, and traveled a day’s journey; and [then] they began searching [anxiously] for Him among their relatives and acquaintances. ⁴⁵ When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him [everywhere]. ⁴⁶ Three days later they found Him in the [court of the] temple, sitting among the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷ All who heard Him were amazed by His intelligence and His understanding and His answers. ⁴⁸ When they saw Him, they were overwhelmed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You treated us like this? Listen, Your ^[k]father and I have been [greatly distressed and] anxiously looking for You.” ⁴⁹ And He answered, “Why did you have to look for Me? Did you not know that I had to be ^[l]in My Father’s house?” ⁵⁰ But they did not understand what He had said to them. ⁵¹ He went down to Nazareth with them, and was continually submissive and obedient to them; and His mother treasured all these things in her heart.

⁵² And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and men.^(M)